‘Aquaman’, and 7 other December movies to end the year with

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2018 has been a pretty eventful year, don’t you think? So, what better way to end the year than with arguably one of the most anticipated DC superhero movies of the year, Aquaman?

Starring Jason Momoa as the titular hero, Aquaman (Dec 13) promises a wet and wild ride that should wash away any memory of DC’s last release, Justice League. And before that, we’ve got arguably one of the best Spider-Man movies ever made, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (now showing).

Another movie that’s also looking to re-energise a franchise is Bumblebee (Dec 20), the first Transformers movie not directed by Michael Bay. There’s also some action-packed Asian movies coming up too – Master Z: The Ipman Legacy (Dec 25) sees Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh returning to martial arts action, while Ma Dong-Seok does Taken in Unstoppable (Dec 13).

But wait, aren’t there any Christmas movies to watch? Well, we do seem to be a little light on festive movies this year, but hey, there’s always Mary Poppins Returns (Dec 24) if you’re looking for some uplifting family fun.

Instead of Peter Parker, this animated Spider-Man movie focuses on Miles Morales, as well as a myriad of other spider-people across the multiverse, as they come together to fight an evil force that threatens ALL their universes.

Why you should watch it:From our review: “The best Spider-Man movie since Sam Raimi’s second one … an infectiously free-spirited and energetic celebration of all things Spider-Man, and also of every fond memory you have from reading comics.”

An adaptation of Philip Reeve’s sci-fi steampunk book of the same name, Mortal Engines is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the entire world has been decimated by war. Cities have literally uprooted themselves and they rove the landscape on giant wheels in search of fuel and resources. Londoner Tom Natsworthy meets the fugitive Hester Shaw and forges an alliance that could help change the world.

Why you should watch it:From our review: “Rivers builds a world that is both believable and mysterious, and crams enough into the film to satisfy fans. When a movie makes you want to go out and read the book again just to immerse yourself in the world more, you know it has done its job.”

Set after the events of Justice League, where we first met Arthur Curry a.k.a Aquaman, the hero must now return to Atlantis to claim the throne and stop his tyrannical half-brother Orm from starting a war against the surface world.

Why you should watch it:
Because Jason Momoa’s Aquaman was one of the bright sparks in an otherwise colourless (literally) Justice League, and the trailers make him look pretty bada$$ in the movie. Who knows, there might be hope for the DC Expanded Universe after all.

Reformed gangster Dong-Chul’s past catches up with him when his wife is kidnapped, and he receives a phone call offering to pay him to give her up and return to his old life.

Why you should watch it:Because Ma Dong-Seok is seemingly unstoppable in his quest to become one of Korea’s biggest movie stars. And based on the trailer and how tough we know he can be, it’s going to be a blast to see him do a Liam Neeson on the bad guys.

Set in 1987, way before the events of the first Transformers movie, this is the story of Bumblebee, who meets 18-year-old Charlie and forges a friendship that will come to define his future..

Why you should watch it:Because it’s the first Transformers movie without Michael Bay’s grubby fingerprints all over it, and the trailer actually makes it look pretty decent. Also, we’ve got a soft spot for Bumblebee as a VW Beetle rather than the updated Camaro version.

Jane and Michael Banks, the children from the original 1964 movie, are now grown-up and have suffered a family tragedy that left them numb and joyless. Along comes Mary Poppins again, who help them, along with Michael’s children – Annabel, Georgie and John – to rediscover the joy of life.

Why you should watch it:With the relative lack of Christmas movies this month despite the festive season, this is probably the closest we can get to a proper family-friendly, joyful movie. Now, altogether now: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Remember the rival Wing Chun master, Cheung Tin Chi, from Ip Man 3 who gave Donnie Yen’s Ip Man a run for his money? well, apparently he was so popular that they’ve given him his own movie. Set after his defeat to Ip Man, Cheung is now keeping a low profile and staying out of trouble. But trouble comes looking for him when he offends the brother of a notorious gangster.

Why you should watch it:Zhang Jin’s fight with Yen in Ip Man 3 was one of the franchise’s best fights, and it’s great that we get to see more of his character. As an added bonus, we also get to see Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh back in martial arts action, and also Zhang going up against Dave Bautista!

After a brain injury during a bank heist, MacDonald has lost his memory.After seven years in a prison psychiatric ward another inmate convinces him to break out of prison, and he is then given a serum that forces him to relive the life he’s forgotten.

Why you should watch it:Er, because Sylvester Stallone is in it? Ok, we’ll admit it, we’re grasping at straws here, but hey, if you’re looking for a mindless action movie to watch, this is probably it.